Good judgement is the result of experience, experience is the result of bad judgment. -Mark Twain

Today I ran a tempo run, 40 mins. Instead of running to a set pace I decided to run according to my Heart Rate. With having used my Heart Rate monitor for the last month or so I felt confident using this as guidance. I kept my rate at 160 which turned out to be a good tempo pace.

Not long to my next race. I feel as though I've not done enough races recently but there is plenty of them this winter.

That's all folks.

"Effort is only effort when it begins to hurt" [José Oretega y Gasset In Search of Goethe From Within, Letter to a German]


Effort

The motto on Wrexham Athletics Clubs' badge is Ymdrech which is Welsh for Effort. Whilst running one day this caught my attention and made me think a bit more about the word Effort.

Think about the following sentence: “It is an effort to run.” How does it make you feel? Positive or negative?

It's an effort to have a running life: diet, sorting out clothes, arranging times, thinking about the right way to train, book races, travel, etc...

Often the phrase “it's too much of an effort” is engraved into our psyche and leads us to dread the activity and not bother. Effort has become a negative word. But it should be positive.

Effort is an achievement. When you run you use physical energy, effort, to achieve.

Almost every part of the mile is tactically important: you can never let down, never stop thinking, and you can be beaten at almost any point. I suppose you could say it is like life. -John Landy

Today I didn't run but I did cycle about 50 miles. Work had a conference which was 25 miles away so I decided to cycle there and back. The strange thing was that it didn't feel like any more than my usual commute which is half the distance. I think that's because once I'm out on my bike I switch my mind off and it doesn't matter how far it is. My legs also don't get tired on a bike because I don't go fast enough.

Aqua running

I'm been thinking lately of doing aqua running because I use the pool 2-3 times a week to swim but I would be better using that time to do something similar to running instead. I don't have to be injured to aqua run and it'll also prevent injury. Here's the research done so far:

Due to buoyancy heart rate is about 10 to 15 beats per minute lower.

Technique:
Link (roll over me to see where I go)
Link (roll over me to see where I go)

Buy:
a floatation belt:
Link (roll over me to see where I go)
shoes:
Link (roll over me to see where I go)

The Forerunner 310XT will not be able to receive heart rate data from the soft strap while in the water.

Cadence is a great way to monitor your workout in the pool, about 76 to 80 cycles per minute with each leg will help duplicate land running. On land the recommended cadence is about 88 to 90 cpm, but due to water resistance the equivalent in the water is about 10 cpm less.

"Nothing in the world can take the
place of persistence...Persistence and
determination alone are omnipotent."
- Calvin Coolidge

I was pleased with my time for the Warrington Road Runners 10K. It was 34:15 which matches my current 10K (loop) 10K. My 10K PB for a point to point race is 33:40 so I don't count that as a comparison.

I'm also pleased with the result because:
- I've only been doing easy running since the marathon. With more interval sessions I'll go faster;
- The course was full of sharp corners and partly on grass;
- I went the wrong way three times, did only added about 15 seconds on my time but mentally it added a bit more time because I kind of gave up a bit towards the end.

At my next 10K race I would like to pace 5m20s/m or 3m19s/km which will give me 33:08.

The coach's main job is 20 percent technical and 80 percent inspirational. -Franz Stampfl

Today I've done 4 miles barefoot, 8 strides, and ran home (11 miles). I've also done some core strength work, sit ups, curls etc. I can't believe that I managed to get all of the way home without any rain.

Tomorrow's plan is 4 mile run, 22 miles bicycle and 40 lengths in the pool.

You can actually suffer a little bit more going slowly than when you're going really fast. A faster marathon might even be easier than a slow one, in terms of what it takes out of you mentally. -Frank Shorter

When I ran my last marathon it took me 2h34m and I was tired for being out for so long. When I think about those marathon runners who take 4 hours or more it must be a different type of challenge for them. At Chester Marathon I had the opportunity to hang around and I saw runners finish in times over 4 hours. There was a runner who pushed a disabled person around in a wheelchair. I honestly think that these people have a tougher time and when they get up the next day they are in a lot more pain that me. OK they may not train as hard or have the type of pain in the race you get from speed (spikey pain I like to call it) but that it only for a short time.

My plan for the next week is to continue with the FI phase of training (Foundation and Injury Prevention). This will involve easy runs/bike-rides/swims with my heart rate staying under 150bpm.